The idea of making beef jerky at home may seem like a daunting task. It doesn’t have to be! Making beef jerky is a fun and easy way to take your love of beef up a notch.
And there’s nothing like the taste of fresh, homemade beef jerky. Here is a simple recipe for making it, so what are you waiting for?
Ingredients for the Best Homemade Beef Jerky
- 1 lb. of beef
- 1/4 tsp Prague Powder #1 curing salt
- 3 whole habaneros
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Beef for Homemade Beef Jerky
If you want to make good jerky, start with the right kind of beef. You should find beef that is low in fat. This way, it will be easier to trim off the fat.
And your jerky will spoil less later on! We made homemade Beef Jerky with London Broil.
That’s a cut of beef that is lean, and the resulting jerky is irresistible because of its texture. You can also use top or bottom round, eye of sirloin tip, or flank steak. Avoid ribeye and other fatty cuts!
For my recipe, I decided to try top round London broil beef, which I bought at Walmart for $12.03/per 2.06 lb. ($5.84/per 1 lb.)
Get a sharp knife and cut the fat from your beef. It is tempting to skip mini pieces of fat, but take the time to cut it all off.
It will make your jerky last longer.
I weighed the meat to see how much jerky we would have left after the dehydrating.
Beef is hard to slice when it is not frozen. It can be hard to cut if the beef is too soft or too cold.
Put it in the freezer for a while so that it is easier to slice. You can take it out of the freezer after two hours.
Marinade for Homemade Beef Jerky
The next step is to gather all the ingredients and make a marinade. You’ll need to mix the ingredients listed above in the proper proportions.
See the measuring cup below.
Now you’ll mix your marinade and beef, letting it sit between 6 and 24 hours. The longer you marinate the beef, the stronger the flavor is.
Dehydrating the Beef
After marinating the beef, the paper towel(s) will absorb any extra liquid.
You can use an oven or an electric smoker, but it is better to use a dehydrator: it is easy to use, and it isn’t expensive. You can buy one on Amazon.
- Dry your jerky evenly without the hassle of rotating trays.
- Keep your oven free for dinner while your next batch of jerky dries.
- Make a bigger jerky stash by expanding to twelve trays. Extra trays are sold separately.
You will dry the beef for 4 – 8 hours at 160 degrees F. Our hand-cut slices took 6 hours to get the perfect crispy texture. If you want, you can dry at lower temperatures, but make sure that you adjust your drying time because of this change in temperature level. For 145 degrees Fahrenheit, plan on 7 hours of drying time, and for 125 degrees Fahrenheit, make sure that you have 10 hours of drying time.
You will get about 1/3 of the weight of the meat in jerky. Our pound of beef turned into 6.1 oz. or 173 grams. The process removed 9.7 oz. of weight, which constituted a 61% loss of weight!
Recipe
This recipe serves 4 people and requires for me 14 hours and 30 minutes:
- preparation time: 30 minutes
- marinade time: 8 hours
- drying time: 6 hours
| Ingredients | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 lb. of beef; I choose top round London broil beef, but any could work | $5.84 per 1 lb. at Walmart | |
| 1/4 teaspoon of Prague Powder #1 curing salt | Between $12 and $13 for a 2.5 lb. pack (96 teaspoons per pound means that 1/4 of a teaspoon equates to 0.01 cents) | |
| 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce | $1.00 for a 10 oz. container at Wallmart (2 tbsp per oz. = 0.10 cents) | |
| 1/4 cup cold water | I used tap water, so it was essentially free | |
| 1/2 teaspoon sea salt | $1.96 for 2.12 oz. a container at Walmart (6 tsp. per oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.15 cents or 0.08 cents per 1/2 teaspoon) | |
| 2 tablespoons brown sugar | $2.17 for 2lb. a container at Walmart (31 tbsp. per pound means that 2 tbsp. equates to 0.07 cents) | |
| 1 teaspoon ground black pepper | $3.98 for 3.12 oz. a container at Walmart (6 tsp. per oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.21 cents) | |
| 1/2 teaspoon onion powder | Between $4 and $5 for a 1.73 oz. container (6 tsp. per oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.38 cents or 0.19 cents per 1/2 teaspoon) | |
| 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder | Between $4 and $5 for a 2.33 oz. container (6 tsp. per oz. means that 1 teaspoon equates to 0.28 cents or 0.14 cents per 1/2 teaspoon) | |
| 3 whole habaneros | $3 and $4 for 1 lb. at Walmart (3 habaneros equates to $1) | |
| Total Cost: | $7.64/6.1 oz. (full cost: meat + ingredients) |
Shot Instruction
Best Homemade Beef Jerky Recipe
Making beef jerky at home could seem like a difficult job. It's not necessary to be! Making your own beef jerky is a simple and enjoyable way to elevate your love of meat. And nothing compares to the flavor of freshly produced beef jerky.
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cut the fat from the beef and place the meat in a freezer for 1-2 hours.
- Cut the beef into slices no more than ¼ inch thick with a knife.
- Mix all ingredients to make a marinade, put it on top of the meat, and then put it in your refrigerator for 7 -24 hours.
- Remove excess liquid from beef with a paper towel and dry it for 4-8 hours at 160 degrees F until they bend and can't break without snapping.
Nutrition
Serving: 43.25g | Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.1g | Protein: 35.3g | Fat: 7.1g | Saturated Fat: 2.7g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 401mg | Potassium: 473mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 4.7g | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 22mg
QUOTE:
"You might be a redneck if you think that beef jerky and moon pies are two of the major food groups."
Hot and Spicy Beef Jerky Recipe: Turn Up the Heat (Step by Step)
4 Ways to Store Jerky and When to Use Them
About the Author
Charles Joseph
In 2017, a good friend introduced me to the most amazing beef jerky I had ever tasted. And his source was from the most unexpected of places--a random guy in Thailand whom he had met while living there. Although I had been eating jerky since as far back as I could remember, I was genuinely blown away by the flavor. I realized the best beef jerky doesn't come from a store. This experience inspired me to create Beef Jerky Hub and put into writing all the things I've since learned about this amazing food. If you're interested, you can read more about my story here.